1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bicycle carrier adapted for mounting on a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to apparatus for retaining one or more bicycles in a support arrangement which may be mounted on top of a car or in the receiver portion of a conventional vehicle trailer hitch.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bicycle riding has long been a popular recreational activity. In particular, in metropolitan areas and their environs, bicycle paths are maintained for the exclusive use of recreational bicycle riders in parks, along beaches and other available open flatland. Access to areas where facilities for safe, off-road bicycle riding are provided is generally accomplished by motor vehicles which are usually equipped in one way or another with racks or carriers for transporting the bicycles. Moreover, in the past few years, so-called "mountain bikes", motocross competition and other off-road cycling have become increasingly popular. Again, access to areas where such activities are permitted is generally by means of motor vehicles equipped to transport the bicycles.
For many years, more or less standard bicycle transport arrangements have sufficed for the purposes of transporting bicycles by means of motor vehicles. The more conventional carrier racks generally incorporated a provision for supporting the rack on the vehicle bumper, either front or rear, with an arrangement for hanging the bicycle on the carrier and tying or strapping it in place. Oftentimes the carrier rack includes means for connecting the upper end of the carrier to the vehicle to secure it in place. One common type of rack is arranged to hang the top bar of the bicycle frames of two or three bicycles from a pair of horizontal support members with the bicycles being tied together and also to the vehicle. In such an arrangement, the bicycles usually rub and bump together, causing scuffing of the paint finish on the bicycle and/or the transport vehicle with possibly other damage as well. This problem with this type of rack has been exacerbated with the development of modern bicycles having varying shapes and sizes of frames which preclude their hanging properly. Having the bicycles rub or bump together during transport is clearly unsatisfactory, considering that a good mountain or road bike costs in the range of $800.00 to $3000.00.
Allen U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,134 discloses a bicycle carrying system which is particularly designed to carry a plurality of bicycles in a manner which maintains spatial separation between them, thereby protecting them from the damage that may occur in the carrier rack systems of the type described above. The patent shows the use of straps as a means for securing the bicycles in place on the bicycle support frame. It also calls for removing the front wheel from the bicycle fork before mounting the bicycle on the carrier frame.
The Hannes et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,504 discloses a bicycle rack which is provided for the cargo compartment of a pickup truck. While this disclosure involves a mechanical arrangement which is more secure than using straps to mount the bicycles to the rack, it is still somewhat cumbersome to use because it calls for removing the front wheel from the bicycle fork before mounting the bicycle to the rack.
Cole U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,893 discloses a bicycle carrier for mounting on top of a motor vehicle, such as a station wagon. A U-shaped stanchion has a clamping mechanism to retain the bicycle in upright position. Straps are used for holding the bicycle wheels in position.
Carriers for enabling motorcycles to be transported at the front or rear of motor vehicles are also known in the prior art but these generally involve different design considerations from bicycle carriers because of the substantially greater weight and handling difficulty of motorcycles.
A preferred bicycle carrier for motor vehicle transport is one that separates the bicycles from touching each other and will hold the bicycles securely in place. It should have mounting points which are common to most bicycles and should be easy to use, both with respect to installation on the transport vehicle and in placement of the bicycles on the carriers.